Nursing, radiology and medical laboratory students from Japan's Niigata University recently swapped their lecture-based studies for a week of McMaster's innovative learning styles.

The students were on campus to gain insight into the McMaster-developed problem-based style of learning (PBL), in which students are given a problem before the knowledge needed to solve it. They also learned about working with simulated patients and the revamped, person-based curriculum initiated by the School of Nursing.

According to the students, the trip opened their eyes to the wide range of learning tools available to them.

“McMaster students have a great passion for studying and PBL is better than reading textbooks or lectures. It's more like real life,” said Hiromi Sekiguchi, a first year nursing student.

This is the fourth consecutive year that McMaster's International Health office has hosted students from Niigata University collaboratively with Mohawk College.

“It is a stimulating experience to observe their fascination and perceptiveness about the learning approaches at McMaster,” said Mabel Hunsberger, associate professor in the School of Nursing. “Interacting with these students is a two-way learning experience: they learn about McMaster programs and learning approaches while we have the opportunity to learn about cultural differences and how to adapt learning to respond to their needs,” she said.

Niigata University is located in the city of Niigata, a key metropolis on the Sea of Japan. The university, which has a history that can be traced back 140 years, is a large comprehensive institution with nine faculties, five graduate schools, two professional schools, the Brain Research Institute and the Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital. Its student body numbers about 13,000 with an academic and administrative staff of approximately 2,600.

During their week-long stay the students enjoyed a campus tour (the large size of the McMaster campus surprised them) and participated in an interactive PBL demonstration. They also viewed a demonstration in the Centre for Simulation Based Learning – home to McMaster's world-renowned Standardized Patient Program, a completely new concept to them.

Packed into their one-week study-tour was a visit to the Institute for Applied Health Sciences, a laboratory tour with an overview of medical radiation sciences, a presentation on the practice of medical laboratory technology in Canada, the bridging program for internationally educated nurses, the health sciences programs at Mohawk College and its collaborative degree programs with McMaster. A laboratory tour of Toronto's Michener Institute was also part of their agenda.

Although Eri Oiwa is a medical laboratory student, she was “deeply impressed” with McMaster's Kaleidoscope Curriculum for nursing. The new curriculum, which will unfold over the next three years, was officially launched last fall and focuses on the person.

The students said they chose to visit McMaster because of positive feedback in reports by students who participated in previous study tours. It wasn't all study, though – like many tourists, they also visited the CN Tower and had a chance to see the always-popular Niagara Falls.

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